£349 per person for Garden Club members or £399 for non club members. 

 

No Single Person Supplement.

 

Itenary

 

2 nights, 3 days. Tuesday 28th July 2020, departing 07.30am

 

The South East of England is blessed with some outstanding gardens, attracting visitors from across the globe. Whilst we cannot visit every garden within this trip, we aim to see some of the more famous sites and give you a flavour of what the region has to offer.

 

Day 1

We depart Lichfield Garden Centre bright and early to enable us to visit 2 gardens today and cover the distances between the Midlands and the South East.

 

Our first stop will be at Waterperry Gardens near Oxford. Made famous by Beatrix Havergal who established her School of Horticulture for Ladies here from 1932 to 1971, it’s now home to 8 acres of beautifully landscaped ornamental gardens, a quality plant centre and garden shop, gallery and gift shop, museum and tea shop.

 

Moving on from Waterperry, we travel onwards to Merriments Gardens in Sussex. Merriments Gardens consist of a beautiful 4-acre RHS Partner Garden, Plant Centre, Shop and Restaurant, all set amongst the rolling countryside of East Sussex.
 

Finally, we travel to Mercure Hotel, Royal Tunbridge Wells for Dinner, Bed and Breakfast.

 

Day 2

Departing reasonably early to make the most of the day we head to Great Dixter, where we have arranged a special entry an hour before the gates normally open!

 

Great Dixter was the family home of gardener and gardening writer Christopher Lloyd and was the focus of his energy and enthusiasm, fuelling over 40 years of books and articles. 

 

Our next attraction is Sissinghurst Castle Garden. Vita Sackville West was a poet and writer and reputed to live something g o f a scandalous life by the standards of the time. With her husband, the diplomat Harold Nicholson, they began transforming the site in the 1930’s.

 

The Castle itself has a diverse history, being a prison in the 1700’s through to being a home for the Women’s Land Army during the last war.

 

At the end of the day we again head back to Mercure Hotel, Royal Tunbridge Wells for Dinner, Bed and Breakfast.

 

Day 3

For our last day we leave the hotel after a more leisurely breakfast and head towards Chartwell, home of Sir Winston Churchill from 1922 to the end of his life.

 

A great statesman, writer, painter, bricklayer and gardener the house provides a treasure trove representing his life. The Hillside Gardens reflect Sir Winston’s love of the landscape and nature including the lakes, kitchen garden and the Marycot, a playhouse he created for his youngest daughter.

 

Finally, we wind our way back to Lichfield Garden Centre, stopping for breaks, and arriving around 6.00pm, traffic permitting.

 

Please note that all destinations will require walking, possibly with steps and slopes, which may be slippery. Snsible shoes will be a requirement and you should dress for the weather.

 

Spread the cost of your holiday by paying in 3 equal parts. You only need to make the first payment to guarantee your place